Mater dei declarat sponse, quare verba dei ita obscure proferuntur, quod diuersimode interpretari possunt et quandoque aliter a deo et aliter ab hominibus intelliguntur. Et qualiter tota trinitas ostendit se sponse mirabiliter sub forma pulpiti et libri aurei et trium radiorum trium colorum, declarans visionem sponse notabiliter de proprietate et essencia trinitatis et libri vite. Et qualiter videbat sponsa ante diuinum tribunal iudicis iudicium mirabile trium animarum regum, quorum vnus erat viuens et alter ad infernum, tercius vero ad purgatorium damnabantur. Et sunt hic multa notabilia de laudabili iusticia et misericordia dei.
The Song of Justice and Mercy
The Mother of God explains why divine words are spoken obscurely, emphasizing that God's justice is always tempered by mercy.
The Mother of God speaks to the bride, saying: "Daughter, I told you before that this would be the last letter I send to that king, my friend." This should be understood as referring to matters that concern his own unique person and mine. For if someone sitting there were to hear something useful being sung that concerned a friend, and they passed it on to that friend—whether it was a song of joy or a letter of helpful correction—both would be worthy of a reward: the one who composed it, and the one who sang it. In the same way, God’s justice—which judges with fairness and justifies through mercy—desires to sing of both justice and mercy. Therefore, whoever wants to hear, let them listen, because this isn't a letter of rebuke, but a song of justice and love. For when a letter was sent to someone in the past, it contained both a rebuke and a warning; it argued against ingratitude for blessings and urged a change of heart. But now, divine justice is singing a beautiful song that concerns everyone. Anyone who hears it and receives it by believing and acting on it will find the fruit of salvation and the fruit of eternal life. But you might ask why God's words are spoken so obscurely that they can be interpreted in different ways, and why they are sometimes understood one way by God and another way by people. I answer: God is like a distiller who makes brandy or spirits, which are distilled from wine. That distiller has several pipes—some rising, others descending—through which the wine flows up and down, driven by the heat of the fire, until it's perfected. God acts this way in His words because He sometimes ascends through justice, and at other times descends through mercy, just as was shown in the case of the king to whom the prophet, speaking from justice, said that he would die, yet afterward, in mercy, added many more years to his life. Sometimes God descends through simple words and physical expressions, but He ascends again through spiritual understanding, just as with David, to whom many things were said under the name of Solomon, but which were fulfilled and understood in the Son of God. Sometimes God speaks of future events as if they were already past, touching on the present and the future at once, because all things exist in God, and to Him, the past, present, and future are like a single point. Don't be surprised if God speaks in obscure ways, because this happens for four reasons. First, so that God may show His great mercy, lest anyone hearing of God's justice despair of His mercy; for when a person changes their will to sin, then God also changes the severity of His sentence. The second reason is so that those who believe in God’s justice and promises may be rewarded more greatly for their faith and patient expectation. The third reason is that if God’s plan were known for certain at the right time, some people would be deeply troubled by the prospect of those destined for ruin, while others would grow weary and give up on their own longing and fervor. And so, because of these things, when I write certain words to someone, it isn't stated in the conclusion whether those words will be received and believed effectively by that person or not; nor is it made clear to you whether that person will believe and carry them out in action or not, because you aren't permitted to know this. The third reason is so that no one might rashly presume to pick apart the words of God. For it is He who makes the proud humble and turns an enemy into a friend. The fourth reason is so that anyone looking for an excuse to turn away can find one, and those who are filthy may become even filthier, while the good may also become more evident.✦ The bride also says: Then the Son of God spoke to me, saying, "If someone were to speak through a pipe with three holes and tell the listener, 'You'll never hear my voice from this hole,' he wouldn't be at fault if he later spoke through the other two." It's the same way now with our speech. For although my mother, the Virgin, said that this would be the last letter to be sent to the king, this must be understood as referring to her own person. But now I, God—who am in the Mother, and the Mother in Me—am sending My message to the king, as much for those who are currently living parents as for those who are not yet born. From eternity, therefore, justice and mercy have existed in God. For this justice has existed in God from eternity: that since God was full of wisdom, goodness, and power even before Lucifer, He willed that many should share in His goodness. That is why He created the angels, some of whom, fixated on their own beauty, wanted to be above God. Because of this, they fell and became evil demons, cast beneath the feet of God. And even in these things, God shows mercy in a certain way. For when the devil carries out the evil he desires through God's justice and promise, he is, in a way, comforted by the success of his own malice. It’s not that the devil’s punishment is lessened by this; rather, just as a sick person who has a powerful enemy finds comfort in hearing of that enemy’s death—even though the pain of their own illness isn’t lessened by that news—so the devil, out of the envy with which he burns when God executes justice against humanity, becomes exhilarated and rejoices, and is, as it were, refreshed and soothed in the thirst of his own malice. But later, seeing the loss in His own ranks after the pride of the demons, God created man to obey His commands and to bear fruit, until as many humans should ascend to heaven as there were angels who fell from it. Humanity was therefore created perfect, but after receiving the command of life, it did not keep its attention on God or on its own honor; instead, it gave in to the devil's suggestion and transgressed, saying: Let's eat from the tree of life, and we'll know everything just as God does. They—Adam and Eve—didn't wish evil upon God like the devil did, nor did they want to be above God; rather, they wanted to be wise just as God is. They fell, then, but not like the devil. For the devil envied God, and so there will be no end to his misery. Humanity, however, because it wanted something other than what God wanted it to want, deserved and endured justice tempered with mercy. Then, truly, those first parents felt the weight of justice when they received nakedness in place of the garment of glory, hunger in place of abundance, the itch of the flesh in place of virginity, fear in place of security, and labor in place of rest. They also immediately received mercy, namely: clothing against nakedness, food against hunger, and the security of mutual union for the sake of increasing the posterity of the human race. Adam certainly lived a highly honorable life, for he never had any wife but Eve, nor any other woman but her alone. God also shows justice and mercy toward animals. In fact, God has created three distinct kinds of beings. First, the angels, who have spirit but no flesh; second, humanity, which has both soul and flesh; and third, animals, which have flesh but not a soul like humans do. Because an angel is a spirit, it clings to God without ceasing and therefore doesn't need human help. But because a human being is flesh, they cannot cling to God without ceasing until their mortal part is separated from their spirit. And so, to help man survive, God created irrational animals as a support for him, so that they might obey and serve their superior. God shows great mercy to these irrational animals, because they have no shame regarding their bodies, no fear of death before it arrives, and they are content with simple food. Then, once the flood had passed, God also acted with justice tempered by mercy. God could easily have brought the people of Israel into the promised land sooner, but it was a matter of justice that the vessels meant to hold the finest drink should first be tested and purified, and only then sanctified. God also showed them great mercy, because through the prayer of one man—Moses—their sin was wiped away and divine grace was given. Likewise, even after my incarnation, justice is never exercised without mercy, nor mercy without justice. Then a single voice rang out from on high, saying: "O Mother of mercy, Mother of the eternal King, plead for mercy!" For the prayers and tears of your servant, the king, have reached you. We know that justice requires his sins to be punished, but we pray for mercy so that he may turn back, do penance, and give honor to God. The spirit answered: In God, there is a fourfold justice. The first is that He who is uncreated and exists eternally must be honored above all things, because everything comes from Him, and in Him everything lives and has its being. The second justice is that He who always was and is, and who was born in time at the appointed moment, should be served by everyone and loved by them in all purity. The third justice is that He who is by nature incapable of suffering, yet became capable of it through His humanity, and who by taking on mortality earned immortality for humanity, should be desired above all things that can be desired and that ought to be desired. The fourth justice is that those who are unstable should seek true stability, and those who are in darkness should desire the light—that is, the Holy Spirit—by asking for His help with compunction and true humility. But regarding that king who is a servant of the Mother of God, for whom mercy is now being sought, Justice says that time is not sufficient for him to be purified worthily as Justice requires for the sins he committed against the mercy of God, nor could his body endure the penalty he has earned for his sins. Nevertheless, the mercy of the Mother of God earned and obtained mercy for this same servant of hers, so that he might hear what he had done and how he could amend himself, if by chance he should wish to feel compunction and turn back.
The Vision of the Pulpit and the Book
The bride witnesses a vision of a pulpit and a living book, representing the Trinity and the eternal nature of God's word.
At that very moment, I saw in heaven a house of wondrous beauty and size, and inside it was a pulpit, and on that pulpit, a book. And I saw two standing before the pulpit—namely, an angel and the devil—and one of them, the devil, spoke, saying: My name is 'Alas.' This angel and I are both pursuing the same goal, because we see that the most powerful Lord intends to build something great. And so we labor: the angel toward the perfection of the work, but I toward its destruction. But it happens that when that desirable thing sometimes comes into my hands, it's so fervent and hot that I can't hold it; yet when it sometimes comes into the angel's hands, it's so cold and slippery that it immediately slides right out of them. As I gazed intently at that same pulpit with all my mental focus, my intellect wasn't enough to grasp it as it was, nor could my soul comprehend its beauty, nor my tongue express it. The appearance of this pulpit was like a ray of sunlight, possessing a red, white, and brilliantly golden color. The gold was like the shining sun, the white was like the purest snow, and the red was like a blushing rose; each color could be seen within the others. For when I looked at the golden color, I saw the white and the red within it; and when I saw the white, I saw the other two colors within it; and it was the same when I looked at the red color, so that each was seen in the other, and yet each was distinct from the other and existed in itself.1 None was before or after another, none smaller or greater than another, but in all things and everywhere they appeared equal. When I looked up, I couldn't grasp the length and breadth of the pulpit, and when I looked down, I couldn't see or comprehend the vastness of its depths, because everything was beyond human understanding.2 After this, however, I saw on that very pulpit a book shining like the brightest gold and shaped like a book. This book was truly open, and its contents weren't written in ink; instead, every word in the book was alive and spoke for itself, as if someone were saying, "do this or that," and it was done the moment the word was spoken. No one read the writing in the book, but everything it contained was visible in the pulpit and in those colors. In front of this pulpit, I saw a king who was still living in the world; to the left of the pulpit, however, I saw another king who had died and was in hell. To the right of the pulpit, I also saw a third king who had died and was in purgatory. The king mentioned earlier was still alive and sat crowned, as if inside a glass globe. Above the globe hung a terrifying, three-pointed sword, drawing closer to the globe with every passing moment, just like the pendulum of a clock moving toward its mark.3 To the right of this same living king stood an angel holding a golden vessel and a fold of his garment, while to his left stood the devil, holding tongs and a hammer. Both of them were struggling to see whose hand would be closer to the glass globe when the sword struck and shattered it. Then I heard the devil’s horrible voice asking, "How long will this last?" Look, we’re both chasing the same prey, but we don’t know which of us will win. And divine justice spoke to me at once, saying, "These things that are shown to you are not physical, but spiritual." Neither angels nor devils are physical beings, but this happens because you're unable to understand spiritual things except through physical likenesses. The living king appears to you in a glass globe because his life is nothing but fragile glass, ready to shatter in an instant. The three-pointed sword is death, which, when it comes, does three things. It weakens the body, changes the conscience, and kills off every strength, dividing soul from flesh like a sword. The fact that an angel and the devil appear to be struggling over the glass globe signifies that each of them wants to possess the king's soul, which will be awarded to the one whose counsel he followed more closely. The angel's holding of a vessel and a bosom signifies that, just as a child rests in its mother's bosom, the angel labors so that the soul may be presented to God as if in a vessel, and may rest in the bosom of eternal consolation. The devil holding tongs and a hammer signifies that he draws the soul toward himself with the tongs of perverse pleasure, and breaks it down with the hammer—that is, through the consent to and the commission of sins. The fact that the glass globe is sometimes burning hot and at other times quite slippery and cold signifies the king’s inconstancy. For a king, when placed in temptation, thinks to himself, saying: Even though I know that I offend God if I carry out what I've conceived in my mind right now, I'll still go ahead and do it this time, because for the moment, I can't pull myself away from this action. And so, he sins against his God knowingly. Because of this, by sinning knowingly, he falls into the hands of the devil. Then the king himself, by embracing confession and compunction, escapes the devil's hands once more and comes into the power of an angel. And so, unless this king stops being so inconsistent, he's in danger, because his foundation is weak. After this, however, I saw to the left of the pulpit that other dead king who had been condemned to hell, dressed in royal robes and sitting as if on a throne. He was dead, pale, and terrifying to look at. Right in front of him was a wheel with four lines on its rim. This wheel turned according to the King’s breath, and each line moved either up or down according to the King’s will, because the movement of the wheel was entirely in the King’s power. Three of those lines also had writing on them, but on the fourth line there was nothing written at all. I also saw an angel to the right of this king, looking like a very beautiful man; his hands were empty, yet he was serving at the pulpit. To the left of the king, a devil appeared with a head like a dog's; his belly was insatiable, and his navel was open, bubbling over with poison in every toxic hue, and on each foot he had three large, strong, sharp claws. Then someone as brilliant as the sun, so dazzling it was hard to look at him, said to me, "This king you see is a miserable man." His conscience will now be opened to you, showing you what he was like during his reign and what his intentions were when he died. But what his conscience was like before he reigned is not for you to know. Nevertheless, you should know that it isn't his soul that is before your eyes, but his conscience. Because the soul and the devil aren't physical but spiritual, these diabolical temptations and punishments are shown to you through physical likenesses. The dead king immediately began to speak, not from his mouth, but as if from his brain, and he said this: My counselors, this is my intention. I want to hold and protect everything that falls under the crown of my kingdom. I also want to work so that what has been obtained may increase rather than diminish. But as for how I obtained what I hold, why ask me about that? It's enough for me if I can defend and increase what I've gained.
The Judgment of the Three Kings
The bride observes the spiritual judgment of three kings, illustrating the consequences of their choices and the interplay of grace and diabolical temptation.
Then the devil cried out, "Look, it's pierced!" What will my hook do? Then Justice, from the book that was on the pulpit, answered the devil, saying, "Put the hook into the opening and pull it toward you!" Immediately, as soon as Justice spoke, the hook was set. But at that very moment, the hammer of mercy appeared before the king—the means by which he could have shaken off the hook, had he sought the truth in all things and fruitfully changed his heart. The same king spoke again, saying: "O my counselors and my people!" You've accepted me as your lord, and I've accepted you as my counselors. Therefore, I am pointing out to you that there is a man in the kingdom who is a traitor to my honor and life, who plots against the kingdom, and who is a persecutor of the peace and the community of the kingdom's people. If someone like that is supported and tolerated, the state will be ruined, discord will grow, and internal evils will multiply throughout the kingdom. Both the learned and the unlearned, the powerful and the common people alike, believed me when I spoke those words to them, to such an extent that the man I had slandered for treason suffered great harm and shame, and a sentence of exile was brought against him. Yet my conscience knew the truth of the matter perfectly well, and that I had said many things against that man out of ambition for the kingdom and fear of losing it, as well as to expand my own honor and to ensure the kingdom would hold more firmly for me and my descendants. I also thought to myself, even though I know the truth about how the kingdom was acquired and how that man was wronged. If, however, I were to take him back into my grace and betray the truth, all the shame and loss would fall back on me; that’s why I’ve firmly decided in my heart that I would rather die than speak against the truth or retract my words and my righteous deeds.4 Then the devil replied, "O Judge, look at how this king offers me his tongue." Divine Justice answered, "Apply the noose!" Once the devil had done this, he immediately placed a noose, and a razor-sharp blade hung right before the king’s mouth—a blade he could have used to cut and shatter the noose, if only he had wanted to. The same king spoke again, saying, "Oh, my advisors!" I’ve consulted with the clergy and the learned regarding the state of the kingdom, and they tell me that if I were to hand the kingdom over to others, I’d become a cause of harm to many, a betrayer of their lives and property, and a violator of justice and the law. And so, to keep the kingdom for myself and defend it from invaders, I must come up with some new ideas, because the old tax revenues aren't enough to govern and defend the realm. And so, I devised certain new tax levies and fraudulent exactions to impose on the kingdom, to the detriment of many of the kingdom's citizens, as well as innocent travelers and merchants passing through. I had resolved to stick with these schemes until my death, even though my conscience told me they were against God, against all justice, and against public decency. Then the devil cried out, "Judge, look—this king has reached both his hands into my water vessel." "What am I supposed to do then?" Justice answered from the book, "Pour your poison over them." Once the devil had poured out his poison, a vessel of anointing oil immediately appeared before the king, which he could have easily used to neutralize that poison. Then the demon cried out loudly, saying: Look, I see something wonderful and beyond my understanding. For my hook has been set into this king's heart, and at once the hammer was offered to him as well, and placed in his bosom. I've also set a snare over his mouth, and a very sharp blade is being offered to him. My poison, too, has been poured into his hands, yet the vessel of anointing is still being offered to him. Justice spoke from the book that was on the pulpit, saying: "Everything has its time, and mercy and justice will meet each other." After this, the Mother of God spoke to me: "Come, daughter, and see and hear what the good spirit suggests to the soul, and what the evil one does." Everyone experiences infusions and visitations, sometimes from the good spirit and sometimes from the evil one; there’s no one who isn't visited by God as long as they live. Immediately, the same dead king appeared again, whose soul—while he was still alive—the good spirit had inspired in this way: "Friend, you are bound with all your strength to serve God, because he gave you life, conscience, intellect, health, and honor, and furthermore, he puts up with you in your sins." The king’s conscience answered with a parable: “It’s true,” he said, “that I am bound to serve God, by whose power I was created and redeemed, and by whose mercy I live and have my being.” But the evil spirit, on the other hand, suggested to the same king: "Brother," he said, "I have some good advice for you." Act just like someone peeling fruit. He throws away the peel or the skin of the fruit, but he keeps the core and the useful parts for himself. You should do the same. For God is humble and merciful, patient, and in need of nothing. Therefore, give Him from your goods what you can easily do without, but keep the more useful and desirable things for yourself.5 Go ahead and do whatever pleases your flesh, since it can be easily corrected. As for what you don't enjoy doing, even if you're obligated to do it, let it go and give alms instead, because many people can be comforted by that. The king's conscience replied, "That's useful advice." I'll be able to give away some of my own things—things that cost me nothing to lose—which God nevertheless counts as very great. But the rest I'll keep for my own use and to win the friendship of many. After this, the angel who had been assigned to guard the king spoke to him again through inspirations, saying: "O friend, remember that you are mortal and will soon die." Also, consider that this life is short, and that God is a just and patient judge who examines all your thoughts, words, and deeds from the beginning of your conscious life until the end. He also judges all your affections and intentions, leaving nothing unexamined. So, use your time and your strength reasonably; govern your members for the benefit of your soul, and live modestly, not indulging the desires of the flesh. For those who live according to the flesh and according to their own desires do not reach the homeland of God. But the devilish spirit immediately tempted the king with his own suggestions, saying, "Brother, if you're going to have to give an account to God for every hour and every moment, then when are you supposed to enjoy yourself?" But listen to my advice. God is merciful and easily appeased. For He wouldn't have redeemed you if He wanted to lose you. That is why Scripture says that all sins are forgiven through compunction. Do as a clever man once did: he owed a creditor twenty pounds of gold and, having no way to pay it back, went to a friend for advice. The friend advised him to take twenty pounds of copper, gild them with one pound of gold, and pay the creditor with them once they were gilded. He followed the advice he’d been given, paying his creditor with those twenty pounds of copper gilded with gold, while keeping the nineteen pounds of pure gold for himself. You should do the same. For you set aside nineteen hours of your time for your own pleasure, enjoyment, and joy, yet a single hour is enough for you to feel sorrow and compunction. Therefore, feel free to do what pleases you both before and after confession. Just as copper plated with gold appears to be entirely gold, so the works of sin, which are represented by the copper, will be wiped away by the gilding of compunction, and all your works will shine like gold. The king's conscience then replied, "This plan seems delightful and reasonable, because by acting this way, I can arrange all my time for my own joy." The good angel also spoke to the king through his inspirations, saying: My friend, first consider with what mastery God brought you out of the narrow womb of your mother. Second, consider the patience with which God endures you while you live. Third, consider the bitterness with which He redeemed you from eternal death. But the devil, on the other hand, whispered to the king, 'Brother, if God brought you out of your mother's narrow womb into the vastness of the world, consider also that He will bring you out of the world again through a hard death.' If God lets you live for a long time, remember that you'll face many hardships and troubles in this life against your will. If God redeemed you through His own painful death, who forced Him to do it? For you didn't ask Him for it. Then, as if speaking from within, the king replied in his conscience, "What you suggest is true." For I grieve more over the fact that I am about to die than I did over being born from my mother’s womb. It's even harder for me to bear the world's adversities and the conflicts within my own heart than anything else. If I had the choice, I'd rather live in the world without trouble and remain in its comforts than be separated from it. I would even prefer to have an eternal life in this world with worldly happiness than to have Christ redeem me with His own blood. I wouldn't care about being in heaven if I could have the world on my own terms here on earth. Then I heard a voice from the pulpit say, "Take the vessel of anointing away from the king now, because he has sinned against God the Father." For God the Father, who exists eternally in the Son and the Holy Spirit, gave a true and righteous law through Moses, but this king established a law that is contrary and perverse. However, because this king did perform some good deeds—even if his intentions weren't good—he is permitted to hold onto his kingdom for the rest of his days, so that he may be rewarded for them here in this world. Secondly, the Word spoke from the pulpit, saying: "Take the sharpest sword away from the king's sight, because he has sinned against the Son of God." For He Himself says in the Gospel that judgment without mercy will be given to the one who has not shown mercy. This king, however, refused to show mercy to those unjustly afflicted, nor would he correct his own error or change his perverse will. Yet, because of some good things he did, let this be his reward: that he may have words of wisdom on his lips and be considered wise by many. The third spoke a word of justice, saying: “Let the scepter be taken from the king, because he has sinned against the Holy Spirit.” For the Holy Spirit forgives the sins of all who repent, but this king intends to persist in his sin until the very end. However, because he did some good things, let him be granted what he so fervently desires for his body's pleasure—namely, the woman he wants as his wife, that delight of his eyes—and let him achieve a beautiful and desirable end to his life by the world's standards. Later, as the king’s final hour drew near, the devil cried out, "Look, the vessel of anointing has been taken away!" Therefore, I will now weigh down my hands, so that he may not perform any fruitful works. As soon as the devil finished speaking, the king was stripped of his strength and health. And then the devil immediately cried out, saying, "Look, the sharp blade has been taken away!" So, I will tighten my snare. And the king was immediately deprived of his speech. At that moment of deprivation, Justice spoke to the good angel assigned to guard the king, saying, "Search the wheel, see which line points upward, and read what is written on it." And look, a fourth line was reaching upward, on which nothing at all was written, but it was like a blank wheel. Then Justice replied: “Because,” he said, “this soul loved what is empty, let it now go to the lover who is its reward.” And the king’s soul was immediately separated from his body. Once the soul had departed, the devil immediately cried out, "I will now tear apart the heart of this king, because I possess his soul." And then I saw how the king was entirely transformed from the crown of his head to the soles of his feet, appearing as horrible as a creature that had been completely flayed. His eyes, too, were gouged out and his flesh all bunched up, and then his voice was heard like this: "Woe is me," he said, "for I have become blind, like a puppy born in darkness, searching for its mother’s backside, because through my own ingratitude I cannot see my mother’s breasts." Woe to me, for in my blindness I see that I will never see God, because my conscience now understands where I have fallen, and what I should have done, but didn't. Woe to me, for though I was born into the world by God's providence and reborn in baptism, I still forgot and neglected God. And because I refused to drink from the milk of divine sweetness, I am now more like a blind dog than a child who sees and lives. But now, even against my will, though I was a king, I am compelled to speak the truth. For I was bound and obligated to serve God by three cords, as it were: my baptism, my marriage, and the crown of my kingdom. But I first disregarded this when I turned my heart's desire toward the vanities of the world. I didn't pay attention to the second when I lusted after another man's wife. I ignored the third when I grew proud of my earthly power and gave no thought to heavenly power. Therefore, although I am blind now, I still see in my conscience that because of my contempt for baptism I must be bound to the hatred of the devil; because of the disordered impulses of the flesh, I must endure the devil's pleasure; and because of my pride, I must be bound to the devil's feet. Then the demon answered: "Brother, it's time for me to speak, and by speaking I will act." Come to me, then—not with love, but with hatred." After all, I was the most beautiful of the angels, while you are a mortal human." The all-powerful God gave me free will, but because I used it in a disordered way and chose to hate God—so that I might excel Him—rather than to love Him, I fell, like someone who has his head downward and his feet upward. You, however, were created just like every other human after my fall, and you gained a special privilege over me: you have been redeemed by the blood of the Son of God, and I have not. Because you have rejected the love of God, turn your head toward my feet, and I will take your feet into my mouth, so that we may be joined together just like those who have, one a sword in the other's heart, and the other a knife in the other's vitals. You, therefore, pierce me with your anger, and I, in turn, will pierce you with my malice. And because I had the head—that is, the understanding to honor God, had I wished—while you had the feet—that is, the strength to go to God, but refused—therefore my terrible head will consume your cold feet. You will be swallowed up constantly, yet you won't be consumed; instead, you will be renewed into that very same thing.6 Let's bind ourselves with three cords. Let the first cord be in the middle, so that your navel and mine may be joined together, so that when I breathe, you draw my poison into yourself, and when you breathe, I draw your inner depths into me.7 And rightly so. After all, you loved yourself more than your Redeemer, just as I, too, loved myself more than my Creator. With the second cord, let's join your head to my feet, and with the third, my head to your feet. Then I saw that same devil, who had three sharp claws on each foot, and he said to the king: "Because you, brother, had eyes to see the way of life and a conscience to discern between good and evil, my two claws will enter and pierce your eyes." The third claw, however, will pierce your brain. You'll be so suffocated by these that you'll be entirely under my feet. For you were created for this: that you might be my master, and I your footstool. You were also given two ears to hear the way of life, and a mouth to speak what is useful for your soul. But because you refused to hear and speak the salvation of your soul, two claws of my other foot will enter your ears, and the third claw will enter your mouth. In these things you will be so tormented that everything which seemed sweet to you when you offended God will become most bitter. After these words were spoken, the king's head, feet, and navel were immediately joined in the way described to the head, feet, and navel of the devil. And so, bound together, they both descended into the abyss. Then I heard a voice say: Oh, what does a king have now of all his riches? Certainly nothing but loss. And what about honor? Certainly nothing but shame. And what does he have of the greed with which he sought the kingdom? Truly nothing but punishment. He was anointed with holy oil, consecrated with holy words, and crowned with a royal crown so that he might honor the words and deeds of God, defend and govern God’s people, and also know that he was always under the feet of God and that God was his rewarder. Because he refused to be under the feet of God, he is now under the feet of the devil; and because he would not redeem his time with fruitful works when he had the chance, he will have no more fruitful time from now on.
The Mystery of the Godhead Revealed
The Word explains the spiritual significance of the vision, detailing the nature of the Trinity and the call to believe in God's revealed words.
After this, Justice spoke to me about the book on the pulpit, saying, "Everything that has been shown to you so seriously is, in God's eyes, contained in a single point." But because you are a physical being, it's necessary that spiritual truths be revealed to you through physical images. So, the fact that you saw the king, the angel, and the devil speaking to one another is nothing other than the inspirations and infusions of good and evil spirits, acting either directly or through the king's advisors and friends upon his soul. As for the devil crying out, "It is pierced," this refers to the king saying he wanted to hold onto whatever fell under his crown, no matter how it was acquired, and that he didn't care about justice. Understand it this way: the king’s conscience was pierced by the devil’s iron—that is, by the hardening of sin—when he refused to investigate and examine what things justly belonged to the kingdom and what didn't, and when he didn't care to examine the nature of his claim to the kingdom. The hook was truly set in the king's soul when the devil's temptation grew so strong within him that he chose to persist in his own self-righteousness right up until his death. But the fact that the hammer comes to the king's breast after the hook signifies the time of compunction granted to him. For if the king had held such a thought—saying, "I have sinned, I no longer wish to knowingly keep what was wrongly acquired, therefore I will amend my ways from now on"—the hook of justice would have been broken immediately by the hammer of compunction, and the king would have come to a good life and path. Regarding the devil’s cry, 'Look, the king is offering me his tongue,' and the fact that a noose was immediately placed on the king because he refused to show mercy to the person he had slandered, this should be understood this way: whoever knowingly disparages and defames a neighbor to boost their own reputation is being ruled by a diabolical spirit and, like a thief, must be caught in a noose. The fact that the sharp iron comes before the king after the snare signifies a time of change and the correction of a perverse will and way of acting. Therefore, when a person corrects their guilt through good will and amendment, such a will is like a very sharp blade that cuts through the devil's snare and obtains the forgiveness of sins. If that king had changed his mind and shown grace to the man who had been wronged and slandered, the devil's trap would have been cut away at once; but because he hardened his heart in his evil purpose, it was God's justice that he should be hardened even more. Third, you saw that while the king was considering new tax levies for his kingdom, poison was poured into his hands. This signifies that the king's actions were being governed by a demonic spirit and by wicked suggestions. Just as poison causes restlessness and chills the body, the king was agitated and unsettled by evil suggestions and thoughts—specifically, by looking for ways to seize the possessions and goods of others, and the gold of travelers. For when travelers, while sleeping, believed their gold was in their own purse, they woke to find it was in the king's power. But the fact that the vessel of anointing comes after the poison signifies the blood of Jesus Christ, by which every sick person is brought to life. If a king had therefore steeped his works in the consideration of Christ’s blood, and had asked God for help, saying: "O Lord God, who created and redeemed me, I know that it is by your permission that I have come to this kingdom and crown; therefore, conquer the enemies who attack me and settle my debts, for the resources of the kingdom are not enough," I certainly would have made his works and burdens light to carry, but because he coveted what wasn't his, wanting to appear righteous where he knew himself to be unrighteous, the devil took control of his heart. He was the one who persuaded him to break the Church's rules, stir up wars, and cheat the innocent, until Justice, from the pulpit of the Divine Majesty, cried out judgment and equity against him. The wheel that moved according to the king's breath signifies the king's conscience, which, like a wheel, was moved now toward joy and then toward sadness. The four lines on the wheel represent the fourfold will that everyone is bound to have: one that is perfect, strong, upright, and reasonable. Perfect will, therefore, is to love God and to desire to have Him above all things, and this must be in the first and highest line. The second will is to desire and do good for your neighbor, just as you would for yourself, for the sake of God. This will, however, must be strong, so that it isn't weakened by hatred or greed. The third will is to want to abstain from carnal desires and to desire eternal things. This will must be upright, so that it's done not to please people but God, and this must be written on the third line. The fourth will, however, is to refuse to possess the world except reasonably and for the sake of necessity alone. As the wheel turned, the line pointing upward showed that the king had loved the pleasures of the world while scorning the love of God. The second line stated that he loved the honors and the people of the world. The third line recorded the disordered love he held for the possessions and riches of the world. But in the fourth line nothing was written; it was entirely blank. That line should have read: Love of God above all things. The emptiness of the fourth line, therefore, signifies a lack of love and fear of God. For through fear, God is drawn into the soul, but through love, God is firmly established in a good soul. For if a person has never loved God in their life, and yet, when placed at the point of death, were to say with all their heart, "O God, I am sorry with all my heart for having sinned against You," "Give me Your love, and I will amend my life from now on," such a person, having such love, would not go to hell. Because the king didn't love whom he should have loved, he now has the reward of his own love. After this, I saw another king on the right side of justice who was in purgatory; he was like a newborn baby, unable to move himself, except that he could only lift his eyes. To the left of the king, I also saw the devil standing there; his head looked like a bellows with a long nozzle, his arms were like two snakes, his knees were like a wine press, and his feet were like a long hook. At the king's right hand, however, stood a most beautiful angel, ready to help. Then I heard a voice say, "This king now appears exactly as his soul was disposed when it left his body." And the devil immediately cried out to the book that stood on the pulpit, saying, "A marvelous thing is seen here." For this angel and I were both awaiting the birth of this child—he, indeed, with his purity, but I with all my impurity. When the child was born, the impurity in him appeared not from the flesh, but from the flesh; the angel, recoiling from it, could not touch the child, but I, because he has fallen into my hands, touch him. But I don't know where I'm to lead him, because my darkened eyes can't see him on account of the brilliance of a certain light coming from his chest. The angel, however, sees him and knows where he is to be led, but he isn't able to touch him. Therefore you, who are a just judge, resolve our dispute. The Word from the book on the pulpit answered, "You who are speaking, tell me why this king's soul has fallen into your hands." The devil replied, "You, who are Justice itself, said that no one enters heaven who hasn't first made restitution for what was unjustly taken." But this soul is so completely stained by things unjustly acquired that all its veins, marrow, flesh, and blood were nourished and grew from food that was obtained unjustly. Secondly, you said that we shouldn't store up treasures that rust and moths destroy, but rather those that last forever. In this soul, however, the place where the heavenly treasure should have been stored was empty, while the place where worms and frogs were being nourished was full. Third, you said that a neighbor must be loved for the sake of God. But this soul loved the body more than God, and cared nothing for the love of its neighbor. While he lived in the flesh, he took comfort in taking his neighbor's goods, wounded the hearts of his own subjects, and gave no thought to the losses of others, as long as he himself had plenty. He did whatever he pleased, commanded whatever he wanted, and cared little for justice. These, then, are the primary causes, which countless others followed. Then the Word from the Book of Justice answered, saying to the angel, "O you angel, guardian of the soul, who exist in the light and see the Light, what right or power do you have to help this soul?" The angel replied, "She had a holy faith," he said, "and she believed and hoped that every sin could be wiped away through compunction and confession; she also feared you, her God, though less than she should have." Justice spoke again from the book, saying: "O my angel, you are now permitted to touch the soul, and you, devil, are permitted for the moment to see the soul's light." Therefore, both of you, investigate what this soul loved when it lived in the body and had all its limbs sound and healthy. Both the angel and the demon answered, "They loved people and riches." Then Justice, speaking from the book, asked, "What did they love when they were gripped by the pressure of death?" Both of them answered: They say, "He loved himself." For he was more anxious about the weakness of his flesh and the distress of his heart than he was about the passion of his Redeemer. Justice also spoke to them: "Keep searching for what they loved and what they thought about in their final moments, while they still had a sound conscience and their full understanding." The angel answered alone: The soul itself thought, "Woe is me, for I have always been so bold against my Redeemer." If only I had one moment to thank my God for His benefits! For it troubles me more to have sinned against God than the pain of my own flesh; and even if I were not to gain heaven, I would still want to serve my God. Justice answered from the book, saying: Because you, devil, cannot see the soul due to the brilliance of its radiance, and you, my angel, cannot touch it due to its impurity, the judgment is that you, devil, must purge it.8 But you, angel, comfort her until she is brought into the brightness of glory. As for you, soul, you're permitted to look toward the angel and receive comfort from him, and you'll share in the blood of Christ, the prayers of his Mother, and the Church of God. When the devil heard this, he said to the soul, "Because you've come into my hands full of food and goods acquired through evil, I'm going to empty you out in my press." Then the demon placed the king's brain between his own knees, which were like a press, and squeezed it hard in both length and width until the entire marrow became as thin as a leaf on a tree. Secondly, the devil said to the soul, "Because the place where virtues ought to be is empty, I'll fill it." Then he placed something like a blowpipe into the king's mouth and blew hard, filling him violently with a horrible wind, so much so that all the king's veins and nerves were miserably ruptured.9 Third, the devil said to the king's soul: 'Because you were wicked and merciless toward your subjects, who should have been like your own children, my arms will now constrict you, biting into you; for just as you pricked your subjects, so my arms, like serpents, will tear you apart with the greatest pain and dishonor.' After those three torments—the struggle, the bellows, and the serpents—when the devil tried to increase the punishments again and start from the first, I saw an angel of God place his hands over the devil's hands so he couldn't make the punishments as severe as they were the first time. And so, each time, the angel of the Lord would soften the punishments. After each punishment, the soul would lift its eyes to the angel, saying nothing, but signaling through its expression that it was being comforted by him and that it would be saved all the sooner. The Word also spoke to me from the pulpit, saying: "Everything you've seen so seriously shown to you happens in a single moment before God, but because you are a creature of flesh, these things are shown to you through symbols." Even though this king was greedy for worldly honors and for taking what wasn't his, he still feared God; and because he gave up certain pleasures for the sake of that fear, that very fear drew him toward the love of God. You should know, then, that many who are tangled up in many sins still reach a state of great compunction before they die. Their compunction can be so perfect that not only is their sin forgiven, but even the punishment of purgatory is remitted, provided they die in that very state of compunction. But that king didn't attain charity until the very last moment of his life. For even though his strength and conscience were already failing, he still received a divine inspiration through my grace, by which he grieved more for the dishonor shown to God than for his own pain and ruin. And this sorrow signified that light which the devil, in his blindness, did not understand—the light by which he was to lead the king's soul. He didn't say he was darkened as if he lacked spiritual understanding, but because he was amazed at such great brightness of light and such great impurity in that soul. The angel certainly knew where to lead the soul, but he couldn't touch it until it had been purified, as it is written: "No one will see the face of God unless they have first been cleansed." The Word spoke to me again from the pulpit, saying: 'The fact that you saw the angel stretch his hands over the hands of the devil, so that he wouldn't increase the punishments, signifies the angel's power over the devil's power, by which he restrains the devil's malice.' Because the demon would have no restraint or order in punishing if he weren't held back by the power of God, God still shows mercy even in hell. Even though there will be no redemption, remission, or consolation for the damned, there is still great mercy of God in this, because they are punished only according to their merits and justice. Otherwise, the devil would have no restraint or limit to his malice. The fact that this king appeared to you as a newborn child means that anyone who wants to be born from the vanity of the world into the heavenly life... ...must be innocent and grow in virtues by the grace of God toward perfection. The king lifting his eyes to the angel signifies that, through his guardian angel, he found consolation and joy in hope, because he was hoping to reach eternal life. This is how spiritual realities are understood through physical likenesses. For devils and angels don't have such limbs or conversations, since they are spirits; rather, their goodness or malice is made clear to physical eyes through such likenesses. The Word also spoke to me from the pulpit, saying, "The pulpit you saw signifies the Godhead itself—that is, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit." The fact that you couldn't grasp the length, width, depth, or height of the pulpit signifies that in God there is no beginning or end to be found, because God is without beginning, and was, and will be without end. The fact that each of the three colors appeared within the others, and yet one color could still be distinguished from the next, signifies that God the Father is eternally in the Son and the Holy Spirit, the Son is in the Father and the Holy Spirit, and the Holy Spirit is in both—truly one in nature, yet distinct in the property of their persons. The fact that one color appeared blood-red and crimson signifies the Son, who took on human nature in his own person while his divinity remained untouched. The white color signifies the Holy Spirit, through whom the washing away of sins takes place. The golden color, however, signifies the Father, who is the beginning and perfection of all things—not that there is any more perfection in the Father than in the Son, nor that the Father is prior to the Son. To help you understand that the Father is not the same as the Son—that the Father is one person, the Son is another, and the Holy Spirit is another, yet they are one in nature—three distinct yet joined colors are shown to you: distinct because of the distinction of the persons, but joined because of the unity of their nature. Just as you saw the other colors within each individual color, unable to see one without the others, and saw that nothing in those colors was earlier or later, greater or lesser, so in the Trinity there is nothing earlier or later, greater or lesser, divided or confused. Instead, there is one will, one eternity, one power, and one glory. And although the Son is from the Father, and the Holy Spirit is from both, the Father was nevertheless never without the Son and the Holy Spirit, nor were the Son and the Holy Spirit without the Father. The Word spoke to me again, saying: "The book seen on the pulpit signifies that in the Godhead there is eternal justice and wisdom, to which nothing can be added or taken away." And this is the Book of Life, which isn't written like ordinary writing—which exists and then ceases to be—but the writing of this book always is. It exists within the Godhead; it is eternal and knows all things—present, past, and future—without any change or variation. Nothing is hidden from it, because it sees everything. The fact that the Word was speaking signifies Himself, for God is the eternal Word, from whom all words come and in whom all things are given life and have their being. And that same Word spoke visibly when He became flesh and lived among us. Look, the Mother of God has earned this divine vision for you. And this is the mercy promised to the kingdom of Sweden: that the people living there might hear the words that come from the mouth of God. The fact that so few people accept and believe the heavenly words given to you by God isn't God's fault, but theirs, because they refuse to let go of the coldness in their hearts. The words of the Gospel weren't fully completed with the first kings of that time; rather, there are still times to come in which they will be fulfilled.
Read the original Latin
Mater dei loquitur ad sponsam dicens: Filia, dixi tibi prius, quod illa esset vltima littera mea mittenda illi regi amico. Quod intelligendum est de hiis, que tangunt personam eius singularem atque meam.
Si enim aliquis sedens audiret aliquod vtile decantari, quod pertineret ad amicum, vt referret eidem, siue esset illud cantilena leticie siue littera reprehensionis salutaris, vterque esset dignus remuneracione, scilicet et qui dictabat et qui decantabat.
Sic eciam iusticia dei iudicans in equitate et iustificans in misericordia decantare vult iusticiam et misericordiam. Ergo, quicumque audire voluerit, audiat, quia non est littera reprehensionis sed cantilena iusticie et caritatis.
Quando enim olim mittebatur littera alicui, continebat reprehensionem et ammonicionem, arguebat de ingratitudine beneficiorum et admonebat de conuersione morum.
Sed nunc iusticia diuina decantat pulcram cantilenam, que pertinet ad omnes. Quam qui audierit et credendo cum operacione receperit, inueniet fructum salutis et fructum eterne vite.
Sed potes querere, quare verba dei ita obscure dicuntur, quod diuersimode interpretari possunt et quandoque aliter a deo et aliter ab hominibus intelliguntur.
Respondeo: Deus similis est confectori, qui conficit vinum ardens seu aquam ardentem, que de vino conficitur.
Ille enim confector habet plures fistulas, quasdam ascendentes, quasdam vero descendentes, per quas vinum nunc sursum, nunc deorsum cooperante ignis calore decurrit, donec sit perfectum.
Sic deus in verbis suis facit, quia quandoque ascendit per iusticiam, quandoque iterum descendit per misericordiam, sicut patuit in rege, cui propheta ex iusticia dixit, quod moreretur et tamen postea misericordia addidit ei plures annos ad viuendum.
Quandoque eciam descendit deus per simplicem verborum prolacionem et corporalem expressionem, sed ascendit iterum per spiritualem intelligenciam sicut in dauid, cui multa dicta sunt sub nomine salomonis, sed completa sunt sicut et intellecta in filio dei.
Quandoque eciam loquitur deus de futuris quasi de preteritis et presencia simul tangit et futura, quia omnia sunt in deo, et presencia et preterita et futura quasi vnus punctus.
Nec mirari debes, si obscuris modis loquitur deus, quia hec fiunt quadruplici de causa. Primo vt ostendat deus magnam misericordiam suam, ne quis audiens iusticiam dei desperet de misericordia eius, quia quando homo mutat voluntatem peccandi, tunc eciam deus mutat districcionem sentencie sue.
Secunda est, vt creduli iusticie et promissionum dei amplius coronentur propter fidem et expectacionem.
Tercia racio est, quia si consilium dei certo sciretur tempore, quidam propter prescitos contrarios casus multum turbarentur, alii ex tedio a desiderio et feruore suo desisterent.
Et ideo propter ista, quando alicui scribo aliqua verba, non exprimitur ibi in conclusione, vtrum illa verba recipientur et credentur cum effectu ab eo vel non, nec eciam tibi declaratur hoc, an ille credet et perficiet opere illa an non, quia non licet tibi scire hoc.
Tercia causa est, ne aliquis presumat improbe discutere verba dei. Ipse enim est, qui de sublimi facit humilem et de inimico facit amicum.
Quarta est, vt, qui occasionem discedendi querit, inueniat, et qui sordescunt sordescant adhuc, boni quoque fiant manifestiores.
Item ait sponsa: Deinde dei filius loquebatur ad me dicens: Si aliquis loqueretur per fistulam habentem tria foramina et diceret audienti: Numquam ex isto foramine audies vocem meam, non esset arguendus, si postea loqueretur per duo reliqua foramina.
Sic eciam est nunc in locucione nostra. Nam licet mater mea virgo dixerit, quod illa esset vltima littera mittenda regi, hoc intelligendum est de persona sua.
Sed nunc ego deus, qui sum in matre et mater in me, mitto nuncium meum regi, tam propter eos qui nunc sunt parentes viui quam propter eos qui nondum sunt nati. Ab eterno itaque iusticia et misericordia in dei sunt.
Nam ab eterno ista in deo fuit iusticia, vt cum deus ante luciferum plenus esset sapiencia et bonitate et potencia, voluit quod plures participarentur bonitatis eius.
Et ideo creauit angelos, quorum quidam attendentes pulcritudinem suam desiderabant esse supra deum. Propterea corruerunt et facti sunt sub pedibus dei demones mali.
Et eciam in istis deus quodammodo habet misericordiam. Nam cum dyabolus ex iusticia et promissione dei perficit malum, quod concupiscit, quasi quodammodo consolatur ex prosperitate malicie sue,
non quod pena dyaboli minuatur ex hoc, sed sicut eger habens inimicum fortissimum consolatur de auditu mortis eius, licet dolor infirmitatis sue non minuatur ex auditu illo, sic dyabolus ex inuidia qua ardet deo faciente iusticiam contra homines exhilarescit et letatur et quasi sitis malicie sue refrigeratur et linitur.
Verum postea deus videns in exercitu suo diminucionem creauit post presumpcionem demonum hominem ad obediendum preceptis suis et vt fructificaret, donec tot homines ascenderent celum, quot angeli de celo ceciderunt.
Homo igitur perfectus creatus est, qui cum accepisset mandatum vite, non attendit ad deum nec ad honorem suum, sed consenciens suggestioni dyaboli preuaricatus est dicens:
Comedamus de ligno vite et sciemus omnia sicut deus. Isti enim, scilicet adam et eua, noluerunt deo malum sicut dyabolus, sed nec eciam voluerunt esse supra deum, sed voluerunt esse sapientes sicut deus.
Ideo ceciderunt, sed non sicut demon. Nam diabolus inuidebat deo, ideo non erit finis miserie eius. Homo vero, quia voluit aliud quam deus voluit eum velle, ideo meruit et sustinuit iusticiam cum misericordia.
Tunc vero illi prothoplasti senserunt iusticiam, quando nuditatem obtinuerunt pro vestitu glorie, famem pro abundancia, pruritum carnis pro virginitate, timorem pro securitate, laborem pro quiete.
Qui eciam statim obtinuerunt misericordiam, scilicet vestitum contra nuditatem, cibum contra famem, securitatem coniunccionis mutue propter posteritatem generacionis augmentandam.
Nempe adam honestissime vite fuit, qui numquam vxorem habuit nisi euam sed nec aliam mulierem nisi illam solam.
Item deus eciam iusticiam et misericordiam habet in animalibus. Deus nempe fecit tria egregia. Primo angelos, qui spiritum habent sed non carnem, secundo hominem, qui habet animam et carnem, tercio animalia, que carnem habent sed non animam sicut homo.
Angelus ergo, quia spiritus est, deo incessanter adheret et ideo humano non indiget adiutorio. Homo vero, quia caro est, deo incessanter adherere non potest, antequam mortale separatur a spiritu.
Et ideo, vt subsistat homo, creauit ei deus adiutorium animal irracionale, vt obediat et seruiat suo meliori.
Itaque in istis animalibus irracionalibus deus magnam habet misericordiam, quia non habent pudorem de membris suis nec dolorem mortis, antequam mors veniat, simplici quoque victu contentantur.
Deinde, cum pertransisset diluuium eciam deus fecit iusticiam cum misericordia. Nam bene potuisset deus introduxisse populum israhel in terram promissionis in breuiori tempore, sed iusticia fuit, quod vasa que optimum potum tenere debebant, primo probarentur et purgarentur et deinde sanctificarentur.
Quibus eciam deus magnam fecit misericordiam, quia vno homine scilicet moyse orante peccatum eorum deletum fuit et diuina gracia data. Similiter et post incarnacionem meam nunquam iusticia sine misericordia nec misericordia sine iusticia exercetur.
Tunc autem vox vna insonuit in altum dicens: O mater misericordie, mater eterni regis, impetra misericordiam! Ad te quippe venerunt preces et lacrime, famuli tui regis.
Scimus enim, quod iusticia est, vt puniantur peccata eius, sed impetra misericordiam, vt conuertatur et agat penitenciam et faciat honorem deo!
Respondit spiritus: In deo quadruplex est iusticia. Prima est, vt ille qui increatus est et eternaliter est honoretur super omnia, quia ab ipso sunt omnia et in ipso viuunt et subsistunt vniuersa.
Secunda iusticia est, vt ei qui semper erat et est et qui tempore diffinito temporaliter natus est, seruiatur ab omnibus et ipse in omni puritate diligatur.
Tercia iusticia est, vt ille qui est ex se impassibilis et ex humanitate factus est passibilis et qui mortalitate assumpta promeruit homini immortalitatem desideretur super omnia, que desiderari possunt et que desideranda sunt.
Quarta iusticia est, vt qui instabiles sunt inquirant veram stabilitatem et qui in tenebris sunt desiderent lucem, idest spiritum sanctum, petendo auxilium eius cum contricione et vera humilitate.
Sed de illo rege seruo matris dei, pro quo nunc misericordia petitur, dicit iusticia, quod tempus non sufficit ei ad purgandum digne secundum quod exigit iusticia peccata illa, que commisit contra misericordiam dei, nec corpus eius sustinere posset penam, quam meruit pro peccatis.
Verumtamen misericordia matris dei promeruit et impetrauit misericordiam pro eodem seruo suo, vt ipse audiat illa que egerat et quomodo se emendare poterit, si forte compungi voluerit et conuerti.
Et statim in eodem puncto vidi in celo vnam domum mire pulcritudinis et magnitudinis, et in domo erat pulpitum et in pulpito liber. Et vidi duos stantes ante pulpitum, scilicet angelum et dyabolum, quorum alter, scilicet diabolus loquebatur dicens:
Nomen meum est heu. Iste itaque angelus et ego insequimur vnam rem desiderabilem nobis, quia videmus quod dominus potentissimus edificare proponit rem grandem. Et ideo laboramus, angelus ad rei perfeccionem, ego vero ad eius destruccionem.
Sed contingit nobis, quod, cum res illa desiderabilis venit aliquando in manus meas, tanti feruoris et caloris est, quod non valeo tenere eam, cum vero venit aliquando in manus angeli, ita frigida et lubrica est, quod statim relabitur de manibus eius.
Et cum ego attente intuerer ad idem pulpitum tota consideracione mentali, intellectus meus non sufficiebat capere sicut erat nec eius pulcritudinem valuit comprehendere anima mea nec lingua exprimere.
Cuius pulpiti aspectus erat quasi radius solis habens colorem rubeum et album et aureum fulgentem. Color vero aureus erat quasi sol fulgens, albus autem color erat quasi nix candidissima, rubeus quoque color erat quasi rosa rubens, et quilibet color videbatur in alio.
Nam cum aspicerem colorem aureum, videbam album et rubeum in eo, et cum viderem album, videbam in eo reliquos duos colores, et similiter erat quando aspiciebam colorem rubeum, ita quod quilibet videbatur in alio et tamen quilibet discretus erat ab alio et per se.
Et nullus alio prior aut posterior, nullus alio minor aut maior sed in omnibus et vbique equales videbantur.
Cumque aspicerem sursum, non valui comprehendere longitudinem et latitudinem pulpiti, respiciens vero deorsum non valui videre et apprehendere immensitatem profundi eius, quia omnia erant incomprehensibilia ad considerandum.
Post hec autem in ipso pulpito vidi librum resplendentem quasi aurum fulgentissimum et habentem formam libri.
Qui quidem liber apertus erat et scriptura eius non erat scripta atramento sed vnumquodque verbum in libro erat viuens et se ipsum loquebatur, quasi si aliquis diceret "fac hoc vel illud" et statim cum prolacione verbi esset factum.
Scripturam quoque libri nullus legebat, sed quicquid continebat scriptura, hoc totum in pulpito et in illis coloribus videbatur.
Ante istud autem pulpitum vidi quendam regem viuentem in mundo, ad sinistram vero partem pulpiti vidi alium regem mortuum, qui erat in inferno. Ad dexteram quoque pulpiti vidi tercium regem mortuum, qui erat in purgatorio.
Rex itaque supradictus viuens erat quasi in globo vitreo sedens coronatus. Supra globum vero dependebat vnus gladius tricuspis horribilis appropinquans singulis momentis globo sicut perpendiculum in horologio ad suum signum.
Ad dexteram quoque eiusdem regis viuentis stabat angelus habens vas aureum et sinum, ad sinistram vero eius stabat dyabolus habens forcipem et malleum.
Qui ambo decertabant, cuius manus vicinior fieret globo vitreo, quando a gladio tangeretur et rumperetur.
Tunc autem audiui horribilem vocem illius dyaboli dicentem: Quousque, inquit, erit istud? Ecce ambo nos insequimur predam vnam sed ignoramus, quis nostrum erit victor.
Et statim loquebatur michi iusticia diuina dicens: Ista, inquit, que tibi ostenduntur, non corporalia sed spiritualia sunt. Nec angelus vel diabolus corporales sunt, sed hoc fit, quia tu spiritualia intelligere non vales nisi per similitudines corporales.
Rex itaque viuens ideo tibi apparet in globo vitreo, quia vita eius non est nisi quasi vitrum fragile et in puncto finitura. Gladius vero tricuspis mors est, que cum venit, operatur tria.
Debilitat quippe corpus, immutat conscienciam, mortificat omnes vires, diuidens sicut gladius animam a carne. Quod vero angelus et dyabolus certare videntur super globum vitreum significat, quod vterque eorum desiderat habere animam regis, que illi adiudicabitur, cuius consiliis magis obedierit.
Quod vero angelus habet vas et sinum significat, quod, sicut puer quiescit in synu matris, sic angelus laborat, vt anima presentetur deo quasi in vase et in sinu eterne consolacionis requiescat.
Quod vero diabolus forcipem habet et malleum significat, quod demon animam trahit ad se forcipe praue delectacionis dissoluitque eam malleo, idest consensu et perpetracione delictorum.
Quod vero globus vitreus quandoque nimis est ardens, quandoque satis lubricus et frigidus significat inconstanciam regis. Nam rex in temptacione positus cogitat sic dicens intra se:
Licet ego sciam me deum offendere, si nunc conceptum mentis mee adimpleo, tamen ista vice conceptum meum opere adimplebo, quia pro nunc ab hoc opere retrahere me nequeo. Et sic scienter peccat in deum suum. Propterea scienter peccans venit in manus dyaboli.
Deinde rex ipse assumens confessionem et contricionem iterum euadit manus dyaboli et venit in potestatem angeli. Et ideo, nisi iste rex dimiserit inconstanciam suam, periculose stat, quia debile habet fundamentum.
Post hec autem vidi ad sinistram partem pulpiti illum alium regem mortuum, qui damnatus fuit ad infernum vestitum vestibus regalibus et sedentem quasi in throno. Qui erat mortuus et pallidus et nimis terribilis.
Ante faciem vero eius erat quedam rota habens quatuor lineas in extremitate. Que quidem rota secundum flatum regis voluebatur, et quelibet linea vel ibat sursum vel deorsum secundum voluntatem regis, quia motus rote erat in potestate regis.
Tres quoque linee illarum habebant scripturas, sed in quarta linea nichil omnino erat scriptum. Vidi eciam ad partem dexteram istius regis quendam angelum quasi hominem pulcerrimum, cuius manus erant vacue sed ipse ad pulpitum seruiebat.
Ad sinistram vero partem regis apparebat vnus dyabolus, cuius caput simile videbatur cani, venter eius erat insaciabilis et vmbelicus apertus ebulliens veneno colorato omnibus coloribus venenosis, et in quolibet pede habebat tres vngulas magnas, fortes et acutas.
Tunc autem vnus splendidissimus quasi sol et ad intuendum pre fulgore mirabilis dixit michi: Iste rex, quem tu vides, miserabilis est. Cuius consciencia modo aperietur tibi, qualis fuit in regno et in intencione, quando moriebatur.
Qualis vero consciencia eius fuit ante regnum, non est tuum scire. Verumtamen scias, quod anima eius non est ante oculos tuos sed consciencia eius.
Et quia anima et dyabolus non corporales sed spirituales sunt, ideo temptaciones dyabolice et supplicia per similitudines corporales ostenduntur tibi.
Et statim ille rex mortuus cepit loqui, non de ore sed quasi de cerebro, et dixit sic:
O consiliarii mei, talis est intencio mea. Quidquid enim subest corone regni mei, tenere et custodire volo. Laborare eciam volo, quod augeantur obtenta et non diminuantur.
Quali autem modo obtenta sunt, que teneo, quid ad me querere? Sufficit enim michi, si adepta defendere valeo et augere.
Et tunc dyabolus clamauit dicens: Ecce perforatum est! Quid faciet vncinus meus? Respondit tunc iusticia de libro, qui erat in pulpito, dicens dyabolo: Impone foramini vncinum et attrahe tibi! Et statim prolato verbo iusticie impositus fuit vncinus.
Sed ilico in ipso momento venit ante regem malleus scilicet misericordie, quo dictus rex excutere potuisset vncinum, si veritatem inquisisset de omnibus et fructuose mutasset voluntatem.
Iterum loquebatur idem rex dicens: O consiliarii mei et homines mei! Vos assumpsistis me in dominum et ego vos in consiliarios.
Ideo indico vobis hominem quendam esse in regno, qui proditor est honoris mei et vite, qui insidiator est regni et persecutor pacis et communitatis populorum regni.
Si ergo talis homo sustineatur et toleretur, damnabitur respublica, inualescet discordia et intestina mala adaugentur in regno.
Credebant enim michi docti et indocti, potentes et vulgus populi in predictis verbis, que ego eis loquebar, in tantum quod homo ille, quem ego diffamaui de prodicione, obtinuit damnum maximum et pudorem, et sentencia et exilium contra eum ferebatur.
Attamen bene sciebat consciencia mea, qualis erat rei veritas in isto negocio et quod multa contra hominem illum dixi propter ambicionem regni et propter timorem amissionis eius necnon et vt honor meus dilataretur et vt regnum michi et posteris meis firmius adhereret.
Cogitaui eciam mecum, licet ego sciam veritatem, quomodo acquisitum est regnum et quomodo ille iniuriatus est.
Si tamen ipsum recepero iterum in graciam meam et veritatem prodidero, omne obprobrium et damnum redundabit in me, et ideo firmaui in animo meo magis velle mori quam veritatem dicere et verba mea et opera iniusta reuocare.
Respondit tunc dyabolus: O iudex, ecce qualiter rex iste prebet michi linguam. Respondit iusticia diuina: Impone laqueum!
Quod cum fecisset dyabolus, statim imposito laqueo pendebat ante os regis ferrum acutissimum, quo potuisset, si voluisset, laqueum prescidisse et comminuisse.
Item loquebatur idem rex dicens: O consiliarii mei! Ego consului clericos et litteratos de statu regni, qui dicunt michi, quod, si assignarem regnum in manus aliorum, fierem multis in damnum viteque et bonorum proditor, iusticie et legum violator.
Et ideo, vt regnum retineam michi illudque ab incursantibus defendam, oportet nos quedam noua excogitare, quia antiqui redditus fiscales non sufficiunt ad gubernandum et defendendum regnum.
Itaque excogitaui quasdam nouas imposiciones tributorum et exaccionum fraudulentas imponere in regno in damnum multorum ciuium regni et eciam innocentum pertranseuncium viatorum et mercatorum.
In quibus adinuencionibus perseuerare proposui vsque ad mortem, licet consciencia mea michi dixerit, quod ista erant contra deum et omnem iusticiam et publicam honestatem.
Et tunc clamauit diabolus dicens: O iudex, ecce ambas manus suas inclinauit iste rex sub vas meum aquaticum. Quid igitur facturus sum ego? Respondit iusticia de libro: Effunde super eas venenum tuum.
Et tunc effuso veneno a diabolo statim venit ante regem vnum vas vnccionis, quo rex illud venenum bene potuisset restrinxisse. Et tunc demon clamauit valenter dicens:
Ecce video mirabile et michi imperscrutabile. Nam vncinus meus impositus est cordi istius regis, et statim oblatus est ei et malleus in sinum.
Laqueus quoque meus impositus est ori eius et ferrum acutissimum ei prebetur. Venenum eciam meum infusum est in manibus eius et offertur adhuc ei vas vnccionis.
Respondit iusticia de libro, qui erat in pulpito, dicens: Omnia tempus habent, et misericordia et iusticia obuiabunt sibi.
Post hec autem loquebatur michi mater dei dicens: Veni, filia, et vide et audi, quid suggerit anime spiritus bonus quidue malus. Nam omnis homo infusiones et visitaciones habet, quandoque a spiritu bono et quandoque a spiritu malo, nec est aliquis, qui non visitatur a deo, quamdiu viuit.
Et statim iterum idem rex mortuus apparuit, cuius anime, cum viueret, spiritus bonus taliter inspirabat: O amice, tu totis viribus obligaris seruire deo, quia dedit tibi vitam, conscienciam, intellectum, sanitatem et honorem, insuper tolerat te in peccatis tuis.
Respondit consciencia regis per similitudinem loquendo: Verum est, inquit, quod seruire teneor deo, cuius potencia creatus et redemptus sum, cuius misericordia viuo et subsisto.
Sed econtra spiritus malus suggerebat eidem regi: Frater, inquit, consulo tibi consilium bonum. Facito enim sicut ille, qui purgare solet poma. Ille namque peripsimata seu corticem pomi proicit, medullam vero et vtiliora seruat sibi.
Similiter fac et tu. Deus enim humilis et misericors est, paciens et nullius egens. Da ergo ei de bonis tuis illa, quibus commode carere poteris, vtiliora vero et concupiscibiliora reserua tibi.
Facito eciam quodcumque delectat te ad carnem, quia faciliter emendari potest. Et quod te non delectat facere, licet tenearis facere, dimitte et loco illius tribue elemosinas, quia inde plures consolari possunt.
Respondit consciencia regis: Istud, inquit, est vtile consilium. Potero quidem aliqua dare de meis, de quibus nullum habeo damnum, que tamen deus reputat maxima. Cetera vero seruabo in vsus proprios et ad acquirendum amiciciam multorum.
Post hec autem iterum loquebatur angelus, qui regi datus fuerat ad custodiam, per inspiraciones dicens regi: O amice, cogita, quod mortalis es et cito moriturus.
Cogita eciam, quod vita ista breuis est et deus iudex iustus et paciens, qui examinat omnes cogitaciones tuas et locuciones et opera, a principio intelligibilis etatis tue vsque ad finem. Qui eciam omnes affectus et intenciones tuas iudicat et nichil dimittit indiscussum.
Et ideo vtere tempore tuo et viribus tuis racionabiliter, rege membra tua ad vtilitatem anime, viue modestus non faciendo voluptatem carnis in desideriis. Quia qui secundum carnem viuunt et secundum voluptatem suam, non veniunt ad patriam dei.
Econtra vero suasit statim regi spiritus dyabolicus inspiracionibus suis: O frater, inquit, si de omnibus horis et momentis redditurus es deo racionem, quando ergo gaudere debes? Sed audi consilium meum.
Deus misericors est et faciliter placatur. Non enim redemisset te, se te perdere vellet. Ideo dicit scriptura, quod omnia peccata dimittuntur per contricionem.
Fac ergo sicut quidam astutus fecit, qui soluturus erat cuidam creditori XX libras auri, et non habens vnde redderet venit ad amicum pro consilio. Qui consuluit ei sumere viginti libras cupri et deaurare eas vna libra auri et sic deauratas soluere creditori.
Qui faciens iuxta consilium sibi datum soluit creditori illas viginti libras cupri perlinitas auro et XIX libras auri puri retinuit sibi. Sic fac et tu.
XIX enim horas temporis dispone ad delectacionem et voluptatem tuam et ad gaudium tuum, et vna tantum hora sufficit tibi ad contristandum et ad compungendum. Audacter ergo ante et post confessionem facito quod delectat te.
Quia sicut cuprum perlinitum auro totum apparuit aurum, sic opera peccati, que designantur in cupro, deaurata contricione delebuntur et omnia opera tua fulgebunt sicut aurum.
Respondit tunc consciencia regis: Istud consilium videtur delectabile et racionabile, quia sic faciendo omnia tempora possum disponere ad gaudium meum. Item loquebatur angelus bonus regi inspiracionibus suis dicens:
O amice, cogita primo, quali magisterio eduxit te deus de angusto vtero matris tue. Secundo cogita, quanta paciencia patitur te deus viuere. Tercio cogita, quanta amaritudine redemit te de eterna morte.
Sed econtra inspirabat dyabolus dicens regi: O frater, si eduxit te deus de angusto matris vtero in latitudinem mundi, cogita eciam, quod educet te iterum de mundo per duram mortem.
Et si deus patitur te diu viuere, cogita eciam, quod habes in vita ista multa incommoda et tribulaciones contra voluntatem tuam. Si deus redemit te dura morte sua, quis compulit eum? Non enim tu rogasti eum.
Tunc autem quasi loquendo respondit rex in consciencia sua intrinsecus: Verum, inquit, est, quod suggeris. Nam plus doleo, quod moriturus sum, quam quod natus sum de vtero matris.
Grauius eciam est michi ferre aduersitates mundi et contrarietates animi mei quam aliquid aliud. Vellem itaque, si daretur michi opcio, magis viuere in mundo absque tribulacione et in eius consolacione permanere quam separari a mundo.
Magis quoque optarem vitam habere perpetuam in mundo cum mundana felicitate, quam quod christus redemisset me suo proprio sanguine. Non curarem esse in celis, si mundum possem habere ad votum meum in terris.
Et tunc audiui verbum de pulpito sic dicens: Aufer nunc a rege vas vnccionis, quia peccauit in deum patrem. Deus enim pater, qui eternaliter est in filio et spiritu sancto dedit legem veram et rectam per moysen, sed iste rex constituit legem contrariam et peruersam.
Verum quia iste rex aliqua bona fecit, licet non bona intencione, ideo permittutur ei possidere regnum ad dies suos, vt sic in mundo remuneretur.
Secundo loquebatur verbum de pulpito sic dicens: Aufer ferrum acutissimum ab oculis regis, quia peccauit contra filium dei. Ipse enim dicit in euangelio, quod iudicium sine misericordia fiet ei, qui non fecit misericordiam.
Iste vero rex noluit iniuste afflicto facere misericordiam nec corrigere errorem suum sed nec mutare peruersam voluntatem suam. Veruntamen propter aliqua bona, que fecit, detur ei in remuneracionem, vt verba sapiencie habeat in ore et a pluribus sapiens reputetur.
Tercio loquebatur verbum iusticie dicens: Auferatur a rege malleus, quia peccauit in spiritum sanctum. Spiritus enim sanctus omnibus penitentibus remittit peccata, iste vero rex vsque ad finem perseuerare proponit in peccato suo.
Verumtamen quia aliqua bona fecit, ideo detur ei hoc, quod feruencius appetit ad corporis delectamentum, scilicet mulier, quam appetit in vxorem, delectabile oculorum suorum, et vt obtineat pulcrum et optabilem finem vite secundum mundum.
Post ista autem appropinquante penultimo tempore finis regis clamauit dyabolus dicens: Ecce ablatum est vas vnccionis! Ideo iam ego aggrauabo manus, ne faciat fructuosa opera.
Et statim prolato verbo dyaboli rex priuatus fuit fortitudine et sanitate. Et tunc statim clamauit dyabolus dicens: Ecce ablatum est ferrum acutum! Ideo aggrauabo laqueum meum. Et statim rex priuatus est loquela.
Et in isto priuacionis puncto iusticia loquebatur angelo bono, qui regi datus fuerat ad custodiam dicens: Inquire in rota et vide, que linea tendit sursum, et lege scripturam eius!
Et ecce quarta linea tendebat sursum, in qua nichil omnino scriptum erat, sed erat quasi rota rasa. Et tunc respondit iusticia:
Quia, inquit, anima ista illud, quod vacuum est, dilexit, ideo nunc vadat ad sui remuneracionis dilectorem. Et statim separata est anima regis a corpore.
Cumque egressa esset anima, statim clamauit dyabolus dicens: Ego iam disrumpam cor istius regis, quia possideo eius animam.
Et tunc vidi, qualiter rex immutabatur totus a vertice capitis vsque ad calcaneum et apparebat horribilis quasi animal totum decoriatum. Oculi quoque eius erant eruti et caro tota quasi conglobata, et tunc vox eius talis audiebatur:
Ve, inquit, michi, quia cecus factus sum sicut catulus in cecitate natus, querens posteriora matris, quia propter ingratitudinem meam non video vbera matris.
Ve michi, quia video in cecitate mea, quod numquam visurus sum deum, quia consciencia mea nunc intelligit vnde cecidi et quid facere debuissem et non feci.
Ve quoque michi, quia dei prouidencia natus in mundo et renatus in baptismo oblitus fui et neglexi deum. Et quia nolui bibere de lacte dulcedinus diuine, ideo iam similior sum cani ceco quam infanti videnti et viuenti.
Sed nunc eciam contra voluntatem meam, licet rex fuerim, compellor dicere veritatem. Ego enim quasi tribus funibus alligatus et obligatus eram seruire deo, scilicet propter baptismum, propter coniugium et propter coronam regni.
Sed primum contempsi, quando affectum meum verti ad vanitates mundi. Secundum non attendi, quando desiderabam alienam vxorem. Tercium spreui, quando superbiebam de potestate terrena et celestem potenciam non cogitaui.
Propterea, licet nunc cecus sum, video tamen in consciencia mea, quod propter contemptum baptismi debeo alligari ad odium dyaboli, et propter carnis inordinatum motum debeo sustinere dyaboli voluptatem, propter superbiam vero debeo pedibus diaboli alligari.
Tunc autem respondit demon: O frater, nunc tempus est, vt ego loquar, et loquendo operabor. Veni itaque ad me, non cum caritate sed cum odio. Ego denique angelorum pulcerrimus fui, tu vero homo mortalis.
Et potentissimus deus dedit michi liberum arbitrium, sed quia illud inordinate moui et magis volui odire deum, vt excellerem eum, quam diligere, ideo cecidi, sicut qui habet caput deorsum et pedes sursum.
Tu vero sicut et omnis homo post casum meum creatus fuisti et obtinuisti speciale priuilegium super me, scilicet quod sanguine filii dei redemptus es et non ego.
Igitur, quia tu spreuisti caritatem dei, ideo verte caput tuum ad pedes meos et ego suscipiam pedes tuos in os meum et sic simus coniuncti ad inuicem sicut illi, quorum alius habet gladium in corde alterius, alius vero cultrum in visceribus alterius.
Tu igitur punge me ira tua, ego autem pungam te malicia mea. Et quia caput habui, idest intelligenciam honorandi deum, si voluissem, tu vero pedes idest fortitudinem eundi ad deum habuisti et noluisti, ideo terribile caput meum consumet frigidos pedes tuos.
Voraberis quidem incessanter sed non consumeris, ymo renouaberis in id ipsum.
Coniungamus eciam nos tribus funibus. Primus funis sit in medio, quo vmbelicus tuus et meus coniungantur simul, quatinus me spirante trahas in te venenum meum, te vero spirante ego attraham in me interiora tua.
Et merito. Dilexisti quippe plus te ipsum quam redemptorem tuum, sicut et ego plus dilexi me ipsum quam creatorem meum. Cum secundo vero fune coniungamus caput tuum et pedes meos, cum tercio caput meum et pedes tuos.
Deinde vidi eundem dyabolum habentem tres vngulas acutas in quolibet pede et dixit ad regem: Quia tu, frater, habuisti oculos ad videndum viam vite et conscienciam ad discernendum bonum et malum, ideo due vngule mee intrabunt et perforabunt oculos tuos.
Tercia vero vngula intrabit cerebrum tuum. Quibus in tantum suffocaberis, quod totus sis sub pedibus meis. Quia tu ad hoc creatus fuisti, vt esses dominus meus et ego scabellum pedum tuorum.
Accepisti quoque duas aures ad audiendum viam vite et os ad loquendum vtilia anime. Sed quia spreuisti audire et loqui salutem anime tue, ideo due vngule alterius pedis mei intrabunt aures tuas et tercia vngula intrabit os tuum.
In quibus sic cruciaberis, quod omnia illa erunt tibi amarissima, que prius, quando offendisti deum, tibi dulcia videbantur.
Hiis autem dictis statim coniuncta sunt modo supradicto caput et pedes et vmbelicus regis cum capite et pedibus et vmbelico dyaboli. Et sic ambo colligati descenderunt in abyssum. Et tunc audiui vnam vocem dicentem:
O o, quid habet modo rex de omnibus diuiciis suis? Certe non nisi damnum. Quid vero de honore? Certe non nisi pudorem. Quid vero habet de cupiditate, qua ambiebat regnum? Vere non nisi penam.
Ipse enim vnctus fuit oleo sancto et consecratus verbis sanctis et coronatus corona regia, vt verba et facta dei honoraret, defenderet quoque populum dei et regeret, sciret eciam se semper esse sub pedibus dei deumque remuneratorem suum.
Sed quia contempsit esse sub pedibus dei, ideo nunc est sub pedibus dyaboli, et quia tempus suum fructuosis operibus redimere noluit, cum potuit, ideo amodo non habebit tempus fructuosum.
Post hec autem loquebatur iusticia de libro, qui erat in pulpito, dicens michi: Omnia ista, que tibi tam seriose ostensa sunt, in vnico puncto sunt apud deum. Sed quia tu corporalis es, ideo necesse est, quod spirituales intelligencie tibi per corporales similitudines aperiantur.
Itaque, quod rex et angelus et dyabolus tibi visi sunt loqui adinuicem, hoc nichil aliud est nisi inspiraciones et infusiones boni et mali spiritus facte vel per se ipsas vel per consiliarios et amicos eorum ad animam regis.
Quod vero diabolus clamabat dicens "perforatum est" rege dicente se velle tenere, quidquid subesset corone, qualicumque modo esset acquisitum, nec curare de iusticia,
hoc sic intelligendum est, scilicet quod tunc consciencia regis perforabatur ferro dyaboli, idest peccati obduracione, quando ipse noluit inquirere et discutere, que erant illa, que iuste pertinebant ad regnum et que non, et quando qualem iusticiam ipse habebat ad regnum non curauit examinare.
Tunc vero impositus fuit vncinus anime regis, quando temptacio diaboli tantum in anima regis preualuit, quod in iusticia sua perdurare voluit vsque ad mortem. Quod vero malleus venit in sinum regis post vncinum significat tempus contricionis datum regi.
Nam si rex talem cogitatum habuisset: Peccaui, inquiens, nolo amplius scienter male acquisita tenere, emendabo igitur me de cetero, statim vncinus iusticie comminutus fuisset malleo contricionis et rex venisset ad bonam vitam et viam.
Quod vero dyabolus clamauit: Ecce, rex prebet michi linguam, et statim laqueus impositus fuit rege nolente facere graciam homini, quem diffamauerat, hoc sic intelligendum est, quod quicumque proximum scienter vituperat et infamat, vt famam propriam dilatet, ipse diabolico regitur spiritu et sicut fur irretiendus est laqueo.
Quod vero ferrum acutum venit ante regem post laqueum significat tempus immutacionis et correccionis praue voluntatis et operacionis.
Ergo, quando corrigit homo bona voluntate et emendacione reatum suum, talis voluntas est quasi ferrum acutissimum, quo inciditur laqueus dyaboli et remissio peccatorum obtinetur.
Si ergo rex iste mutasset voluntatem suam et fecisset illi homini iniuriato et diffamato graciam, statim precisus fuisset laqueus diaboli, sed quia firmauit in proposito malo voluntatem suam, ideo iusticia dei fuit, vt magis induraretur.
Tercio vidisti, quod rege excogitante imponere in regno nouas exacciones tributorum, infusum fuit in manibus eius venenum. Significat quod opera regis regebantur dyabolico spiritu et prauis suggestionibus.
Nam sicut venenum facit inquietacionem et infrigidacionem in corpore, sic rex sollicitabatur et inquietabatur malignis suggestionibus et cogitacionibus, scilicet inuestigando modos, quomodo obtineret possessiones et bona aliorum et aurum viatorum.
Nam quando viatores dormientes credebant aurum suum esse in bursa propria, expergefacti videbant illud esse in potestate regia. Quod vero vas vnccionis venit post venenum, significat sanguinem ihesu christi, quo omnis eger viuificatur.
Itaque, si rex intinxisset opera sua in consideracione sanguinis christi et rogasset deum in adiutorium et dixisset: "O domine deus, qui me creasti et redemisti, scio, quod ex permissione tua ego veni ad regnum et coronam: expugna igitur hostes impugnantes me et solue debita mea, quia non sufficiunt facultates regni",
ego vtique fecissem opera et onera eius leuia ad portandum, sed quia ipse concupiuit aliena, volens videri iustus vbi sciuit se iniustum, ideo dyabolus rexit cor eius.
Qui suasit ei facere contra constituciones ecclesie, mouere eciam bella et innocentes defraudare, donec iusticia de pulpito maiestatis diuine clamauit super eum iudicium et equitatem.
Rota vero, que mouebatur secundum flatum regis, significat conscienciam regis, que more rote nunc ad leticiam mouebatur, tunc ad tristiciam. Quatuor vero linne, que erant in rota, significant quadruplicem voluntatem, quam omnis homo habere tenetur, scilicet perfectam, fortem, rectam et racionabilem.
Perfecta igitur voluntas est deum diligere et eum velle habere super omnia, et hec debet esse in prina summa linea. Secunda voluntas est desiderare et facere proximo bonum sicut sibi ipsi propter deum. Hec autem voluntas sit fortis, ne odio vel auaricia infringatur.
Tercia voluntas est velle abstinere a carnalibus desideriis et desiderare eterna. Et hec voluntas sit recta, vt fiat non ad placendum hominibus sed deo, et ista debet esse scripta in tercia linea. Quarta vero voluntas est nolle habere mundum nisi racionabiliter et ad solam necessitatem.
Versa igitur rota apparuit in linea, que tendebat sursum, quod rex dilexit oblectamenta mundi contempta dileccione dei. In secunda linea erat scriptum, quod dilexit honores et homines mundi.
In tercia linea scripta erat dileccio, quam inordinate habuit ad possessiones mundi et diuicias. In quarta vero linea nichil erat scriptum sed totum erat vacuum. In qua debuisset fuisse scriptum: Dileccio dei super omnia.
Vacuitas ergo quarte linee significat defectum dileccionis et timoris dei. Nam per timorem attrahitur deus in animam, per dileccionem vero figitur deus in anima bona.
Nam si homo in vita sua nunquam dilexit deum et iam in extremis positus diceret toto corde: "O deus, penitet me toto corde peccasse contra te. Da michi dileccionem tuam, et emendabo me de cetero", homo talis dileccionis non iret ad infernum.
Ergo, quia rex non dilexit quem debuit, ideo habet iam retribucionem dileccionis sue.
Post hec autem vidi illum alium regem ad partem dexteram iusticie, qui erat in purgatorio, qui similis erat puero iam nato non valenti se mouere, nisi quod solummodo oculos leuabat.
In sinistra eciam parte regis vidi, quod stabat dyabolus, cuius caput simile erat sufflatorio cum longa fistula, cuius brachia quasi duo colobri, et genua eius quasi prelum, pedes quoque quasi longus vncus.
Ad dexteram vero regis stabat angelus pulcerrimus paratus ad iuuandum. Et tunc audiui vocem dicentem: Iste, inquit, rex talis nunc apparet, qualis anima eius disposita fuit, quando a corpore egrediebatur.
Et statim clamauit dyabolus ad librum, qui stabat in pulpito, dicens: Mirabile cernitur hic. Angelus enim iste et ego expectabamus huius pueri natiuitatem, ille quidem cum puritate sua, ego autem cum omni impuritate mea.
Nato itaque puero non ad carnem sed a carne apparuit in eo immundicia, quam angelus abhorrens non valuit tangere puerum, ego vero, quia incidit in manus meas, tango eum.
Sed nescio quo ducturus sum eum, quia tenebrosi oculi mei non vident eum propter fulgorem cuiusdam claritatis procedentis de pectore eius. Angelus vero videt eum et scit, quo ducturus est eum, sed non valet tangere eum. Ideo tu, qui iustus iudex es, dissolue certamen nostrum.
Respondit verbum de libro, qui stabat in pulpito, dicens: Tu, qui loqueris, dicito, qua de causa incidit ista anima regis in manus tuas.
Respondit dyabolus: Tu, qui es ipsa iusticia, tu dixisti nullum ingredi celum, qui non prius iniuste ablata restituerit.
Sed hec anima tota maculata est de iniuste acquisitis in tantum, quod omnes vene et medulle et caro et sanguis eius nutriebantur et creuerunt de cibis iniuste acquisitis.
Secundo dixisti non congregandos thesauros, quos erugo et tinea demoliuntur sed qui permanent in eternum. In ista vero anima locus ille vacuus erat, in quo celestis thesaurus recondi debebat, et ille locus plenus erat, vbi vermes et rane nutriebantur.
Tercio dixisti proximum diligendum propter deum. Sed hec anima corpus dilexit plus quam deum et de proximi dileccione nil curauit.
Nam habitans in carne consolabatur de ablacione bonorum proximi sui, vulnerabat corda subditorum suorum, non attendens damna aliorum, dummodo ipse abundaret.
Fecit quoque quidquid placuit sibi et quidquid voluit iussit et modicum curauit de equitate. Iste itaque sunt cause principales, quas alie innumerabiles sequebantur.
Tunc autem respondit verbum de libro iusticie dicens ad angelum: O tu angele, custos anime, qui es in luce et vides lucem, quid iuris aut virtutis habes tu ad iuuandum animam istam?
Respondit angelus: Ipsa, inquit, habuit fidem sanctam et credidit et sperauit omne peccatum per contricionem et confessionem delendum, timuit quoque te deum suum, licet minus quam debuit.
Iterum eciam loquebatur iusticia de libro dicens: O tu angele meus, tibi iam permittitur tangere animam et tibi, dyabole, permittitur modo videre lucem anime. Inquirite ergo ambo, quid dilexit anima ista, quando viuebat in corpore et habuit omnia membra sana.
Responderunt ambo, angelus scilicet et demon: Homines et diuicias dilexit. Et tunc ait iusticia de libro: Quid, inquit, dilexit, quando anxiabatur pressura mortis? Responderunt ambo:
Se ipsum, inquiunt, dilexit. Nam plus anxiabatur de infirmitate carnis et tribulacione cordis quam de passione redemptoris sui.
Item loquebatur eis iusticia: Adhuc inquirite, quid dilexit et cogitauit in vltimo puncto vite, quando adhuc habebat in se sanam conscienciam et intellectum.
Respondit angelus solus: Ipsa anima cogitauit taliter: Ve, inquit, michi, quia multum audax fui semper contra redemptorem meum. Vtinam vnum tempus haberem, quo possem regraciari deo meo pro beneficiis suis!
Plus enim angit me peccasse contra deum quam dolor carnis mee, et eciam si non obtinerem celum, tamen seruire vellem deo meo. Respondit iusticia de libro dicens:
Quia tu, dyabole, non potes videre animam propter claritatem fulgoris eius, nec tu, angele meus, potes eam tangere propter immundiciam eius, ideo iudicium est, quod tu, dyabole, purges eam.
Tu vero, angele, consolare eam, donec ad claritatem glorie introducatur. Tibi vero, anima, permittitur respicere ad angelum et ab eo habere consolacionem, erisque particeps sanguinis christi et oracionum matris eius et ecclesie dei.
Hiis autem auditis dyabolus dixit ad animam: Quia venisti ad manus meas plena cibis et bonis male acquisitis, ideo ego nunc euacuabo te prelo meo.
Et tunc posuit demon cerebrum regis inter genua sua similia prelo et stringebat fortiter in longitudine et latitudine, donec medulla tota gracilis fieret sicut folium arboris.
Item secundo dixit dyabolus ad animam: Quia locus, vbi virtutes esse debebant, vacuus est, ideo ego implebo eum. Et tunc posuit quasi fistulam sufflatorium in ore regis et insufflauit fortiter, implens eum valenter horribili vento in tantum, quod omnes vene et nerui regis miserabiliter rumpebantur.
Item tercio dixit dyabolus anime regis: Quia in subditos tuos, qui quasi filii tui esse debuissent, impius et immisericors fuisti, ideo brachia mea mordendo constringent te, quia sicut tu pupugisti subditos tuos, sic brachia mea similia serpentibus laniabunt te cum dolore maximo et honore.
Post istas autem tres penas, scilicet preli et sufflatorii et serpencium, cum dyabolus vellet iterum aggrauare penas et a prima incipere, tunc vidi angelum dei extendere manus suas super manus dyaboli, ne aggrauaret tantum penas sicut in prima vice.
Et sic in qualibet vice angelus domini mitigabat penas. Anima vero post quamlibet penam eleuabat oculos suos ad angelum, nichil tamen loquens sed innuens in gestu suo, quod per eum consolabatur et quod cicius saluaretur.
Item loquebatur verbum de pulpito michi dicens: Omnia, inquit, ista, que tam seriose ostensa tibi sunt, apud deum fiunt in vnico puncto, sed quia tu corporalis es, ideo per similitudines ista tibi ostenduntur.
Itaque, quamuis rex iste cupidus fuit ad honores mundi et ad recipiendum, que non erant sua, veruntamen, quia timuit deum et aliqua delectabilia sibi dimisit fawcere propter timorem illum, ideo timor iste traxit eum ad caritatem dei.
Propterea scias, quod multi implicati multis sceleribus obtinent maximam contricionem ante mortem. Quorum contricio tam perfecta potest esse, quod non solum dimittitur eis peccatum sed eciam pena purgatorii, si in ipsa contricione moriuntur.
Sed iste rex non obtinuit caritatem ante quam in vltimo puncto vite. Quia tunc deficientibus iam viribus et consciencia obtinuit tamen ex gracia mea inspiracionem diuinam, qua plus doluit de inhonoracione dei quam de dolore et damno suo.
Et iste dolor significabat lucem illam, de qua dyabolus obtenebratus ignorabat, quo animam regis esset ducturus.
Nec ideo dixit se obtenebratum, quasi quod non haberet spirituales intelligencias, sed quia admirabatur in illa anima tantam lucis claritatem et tantam immundiciam.
Angelus vero sciebat bene, quo duceret animam, sed non valebat eam tangere, antequam esset purgata, sicut scriptum est: Nemo videbit faciem dei, nisi prius mundificatus fuerit.
Item loquebatur michi verbum de pulpito dicens: Quod autem vidisti angelum extendere manus suas super manus dyaboli, ne aggrauaret penas, significat potestatem angeli super potestatem dyaboli, qua refrenat maliciam dyaboli.
Quia demon nullum modum nullumque ordinem haberet in puniendo, nisi virtute dei refrenaretur, et ideo deus adhuc in inferno facit misericordiam.
Quia quamuis damnatis non erit redempcio seu remissio vel consolacio, tamen, quia non puniuntur nisi secundum merita et iusticiam, ideo in hoc magna est dei misericordia. Alias dyabolus non haberet temperanciam nec modum in malignando.
Quod vero rex iste videbatur tibi quasi puer nouiter natus, significat quod, qui nasci voluerit de mundi vanitate ad celestem vitam. debet esse innocens et gracia dei crescere virtutibus ad perfeccionem.
Quod autem rex leuabat ad angelum oculos suos significat, quod per angelum custodem suum habebat consolacionem et de spe gaudium, eo quod sperabat se ad eternam vitam peruenturum.
Sic ergo spiritualia per corporales similitudines intelliguntur. Nam dyaboli vel angeli non habent talia membra vel collocuciones, cum sint spiritus, sed per tales similitudines eorum bonitas vel malignitas corporalibus oculis declaratur.
Item loquebatur verbum de pulpito dicens michi: Pulpitum, quod tu vidisti, significat ipsam deitatem, scilicet patrem et filium et spiritumsanctum.
Quod vero non potuisti comprehendere pulpiti longitudinem et latitudinem nec profundum nec altitudinem, significat quod in deo non est inuenire principium neque finem, quia deus sine principio est et erat et sine fine erit.
Quod vero quilibet color dictorum trium colorum videbantur in altero et tamen vnus color discernebatur ab altero significat, quod deus pater eternaliter est in filio et spiritu sancto et filius in patre et spiritu sancto et spiritus sanctus in vtroque, vna veraciter natura et distincti proprietate personarum.
Quod vero vnus color videbatur sanguineus et rubeus significat filium, qui illesa deitate humanam naturam assumpsit in suam personam.
Albus vero color significat spiritum sanctum, per quem fit ablucio peccatorum. Aureus autem color significat patrem, qui est principium et perfeccio omnium, non quod aliqua perfeccio magis est in patre quam in filio nec quod prius est pater quam filius.
Et vt intelligas, quod non est idem pater, qui est filius, sed alius in persona pater, alius in persona filius, alius in persona spiritus sanctus, vnum vero in natura, ideo ostenduntur tibi tres colores discreti et coniuncti, discreti propter discrecionem personarum, vniti vero propter vnitatem nature.
Et sicut in vnoquoque colore vidisti reliquos colores neque vnum sine alio videre potuisti nec in coloribus aliquid prius aut posterius, maius aut minus, sic in trinitate nichil est prius vel posterius, maius vel minus, diuisum vel confusum, sed vna voluntas, vna eternitas, vna potestas vnaque gloria.
Et licet filius sit a patre et spiritus sanctus ab vtroque, numquam tamen pater fuit sine filio et spiritu sancto neque filius et spiritus sanctus sine patre.
Item loquebatur verbum ad me dicens: Liber, qui in pulpito videbatur, significat quod in deitate est eterna iusticia et sapiencia, cui nichil addi vel minui potest.
Et iste est liber vite, qui non est scriptus sicut scriptura, que est et non fuit, sed scriptura huius libri semper est.
In deitate quippe est, sempiternum est et intellectiuum omnium presencium, preteritorum et futurorum absque transmutacione et vicissitudine et nichil est ei inuisibile, quia omnia videt.
Quod vero verbum loquebatur se ipsum significat, quod deus est verbum eternum, a quo sunt omnia verba et in quo viuificantur et subsistunt omnia. Et ipsum verbum tunc visibiliter loquebatur, quando verbum factum est caro et cum hominibus conuersabatur.
Ecce hanc visionem diuinam promeruit tibi mater dei. Et hec est misericordia promissa regno swecie, scilicet quod homines habitantes in eo audirent verba, que procedunt de ore dei.
Quod vero pauci recipiunt et credunt verba celestia diuinitus tibi data, hoc non est culpa dei sed hominum, quia nolunt dimittere frigus mentis sue.
Nam eciam verba euangelica non sunt completa cum primis regibus illius temporis, sed adhuc venient tempora, quibus complebuntur.
Scripture echoes
- ↩Rev.22.11 — Let the one who does wrong still do wrong, and the one who is filthy still be made filthy, and the one who is righteous still practice righteousness, and the one who is holy still be made holy.
Notes
- 1 ↩The Latin 'discretus' here carries the sense of being distinct or separate in identity, while remaining part of the unified whole.
- 2 ↩The term 'pulpitum' here refers to a visionary structure, likely a platform or stage, rather than a standard church pulpit.
- 3 ↩The Latin 'perpendiculum' refers to a plumb line or weight used in early timekeeping mechanisms to regulate motion.
- 4 ↩The Latin 'opera iniusta' is rendered here as 'righteous deeds' based on the context of the speaker (Divine Justice) defending the integrity of its own previous judgments against the pressure to retract them.
- 5 ↩The Latin 'concupiscibiliora' refers to things that are objects of desire or craving; in this context, it highlights the irony of the spirit's advice to keep the best for oneself.
- 6 ↩The phrase 'in id ipsum' (into that very same thing) suggests a transformation back into the original state or essence, often used in mystical contexts to describe the soul's restoration or union.
- 7 ↩The Latin 'vmbelicus' (navel) is used here as a metaphor for the deepest point of connection or the center of one's being.
- 8 ↩The Latin 'iudicium est, quod tu... purges' implies a judicial decree or assignment of the devil as an instrument of purgation.
- 9 ↩The term 'sufflatorium' refers to a tool for blowing, here rendered as 'blowpipe' to capture the instrument of the devil's assault.
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